The coronavirus pandemic has produced considerable heartache, especially for those who have lost loved ones and then can’t draw comfort from the hugs of friends and family because of the need for social distancing. However, at the same time, God is at work, doing amazing things that often get overlooked in the onrushing crunch of…
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When our church’s elder board met with our pastor to discuss the onset of Facebook Live-only sermons Mar. 22, he quickly brought up one advantage to our coronavirus-interrupted lives. “I’m loving reconnecting with my family,” our pastor said. “We’re all spending a lot more time together, now that we’re not all so busy.” I know…
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The coronavirus pandemic hit the world like a wobbly boxer in a championship fight who never saw the haymaker that decked him. Now, the 9-11 terrorist attacks were stunning. But seeing most stores, restaurants, and schools currently closed, and friends reluctant to stop by for fear of spreading the virus, is a different kind of…
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Absent the coronavirus suddenly canceling spring training two weeks ago, today would have marked the start of the 2020 major league baseball season. It remains to be seen whether it will get going by mid-May. But whenever it does, I won’t be among those enthusiastically awaiting the event. It took years, but a combination of…
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It was headlines news everywhere last week: the Stock Market suffered their worst one-day plunge in more than three decades as actions by President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve failed to stem panic over the coronavirus. I remember that previous day—Oct. 19, 1987—like it happened yesterday. We had just moved back to West Virginia…
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With the stock market gyrations of late, the accompanying danger of a recession, and the future of the Summer Olympics still an open question, coronavirus has the earmarks of another worldwide pandemic instilling fear in the hearts of billions. The fallout affected two friends who had been scheduled to make trips to China this month.…
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With more than a dozen states holding their primaries this week, the faux pas of the early February caucuses in Iowa is already fading into a mere memory. After all, the field of would-be challengers to President Donald Trump is quickly narrowing. So, most voters are likely to forget about the Byzantine selection process that…
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I saw a story recently on NBC News about Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC, that is, but everyone I know still uses the long version) broadening its meatless chicken beyond a test market in Atlanta. In the coverage, I couldn’t help noticing the fast-food restaurant’s logo. Instead of the red hues part of its branding for…
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Working with words for a living has sensitized me to the need for a second—even third or fourth—set of eyes on anything anyone writes. Especially my jottings. Good proofreading is indeed priceless. Several years ago, I drafted a blog that contained some deep personal significance. Soon after it posted, I sent a copy of the…
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Since it’s self-published by Samaritan Ministries and initially printed in a modest quantity, Sharing the Burden isn’t likely to be a candidate for any bestseller lists in the near future. Still, having done two rounds of editing on this book, I can recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Christian healthcare sharing…
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